Book Smart: Stories of women of courage

Wednesday

Aug 2, 2017 at 12:32 PMAug 2, 2017 at 12:32 PM

Nancy Harris More Content Now

From the big screen to New York times best sellers, this summer has seen a number of plot lines that feature strong, courageous female leads who dazzle men and women alike. Yet, the definition of what being “courageous” actually means has long been open to interpretation.

While philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aquinas have speculated for centuries about what constitutes “courage,” social science research on the topic is surprisingly scant. Nonetheless, clinical psychologists regularly observe ordinary women relying on courage each and every day as they move through the world. The four attributes of courage most frequently cited by practitioners are:

Feeling anxiety and fear, yet choosing to act. Dictionaries often define courage as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face danger, pain, and difficulty without fear. Indeed, fearlessness is often used as a synonym for courage. However, Stanley Rachman argues instead that the capacity to face danger, pain, and difficulty despite the presence of fear lies at the heart of true courage. He proposes that without the emotion of fear to conquer, there can be no test of courage.Standing up for what you believe to be true or right. An often quoted aphorism by writer James Neil Hollingworth, is that, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than the fear.” In short, it involves making the conscious decision that the risk, danger or precariousness of saying or doing something is worth it. This is sometimes referred to as “moral courage” and is the basis of the phrases “having the courage of your convictions” and “putting your money where your mouth is.”Going outside your comfort zone. We all agree that entering a relationship, or trying a new sport, activity or job often requires us to go outside our “comfort zone.” But what that means in practice, is that we are willing to be imperfect, risk failure, and when necessary, dust ourselves off and try again. Dr. Brene Brown, a well -known researcher from University of Houston postulates that courage, “is really about putting our vulnerability on the line.”Perseverance in the face of adversity. Sometimes courage is facing the cards we have been dealt in life: a parent dying, a sick child, a job loss or any major life reversal. Some psychologists argue that courage is simply putting one foot in front of the other when the load seems too much to bear. This attribute taps into the notion of fortitude, stamina and endurance.Stories about powerful and courageous women are particularly popular right now. Some focus on little known but true incidents and figures in history, and others on ordinary women discovering strength and courage within themselves.

Perhaps in looking to the lives of these women, we are looking for inspiration to push ourselves to new limits and effect meaningful change in the world or in our own lives. Yet, maybe we are also hoping for validation that courage does not only exist within bold actions that speak loudly, but also within the simple, quiet moments where we say, “I’ll try again tomorrow.” The following three book selections are a few of the most riveting, richly textured tales of women whose courage is unforgettable.The Alice Network “The Alice Network,” by Kate Quinn, is a fast-paced, engaging, and memorable wartime tale of intrigue, self sacrifice, and betrayal.

Destined to be one of this summer’s best, the novel is based on the little-known true story of impoverished French aristocrat, Louise De Bettignies, who led one of the most successful, heavily female spy rings in World War I.

The narrative begins in 1947 with a young American college girl, Charlie St. Claire, who finds herself pregnant and banished to Europe by her disapproving parents. They are expecting her to have her “little problem” taken care there by a physician. But Charlie has other ideas.

She desperately misses her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared two years earlier in Nazi-occupied France. While family assumes she is dead, Charlie clings to the hope that Rose is still alive and makes her way to London to begin her own desperate search.

The second storyline focuses on Eve Gardiner in both present day London and in flashback to 1915 when she was a young girl determined to fight the Germans in the Great War. Surprisingly, she gets that chance when she is recruited to gather intelligence and spy for the English, and is placed in occupied France, as part of a vast network of spies-known as the Alice Network.

The lives of Charlie and Eve collide when Charlie’s first lead takes her to Eve’s crumbling home in London in 1947, and Charlie insists that Eve participate in the search for her missing cousin. With unresolved questions and secrets of her own, Eve agrees. But, will this frantic search for truth bring them the answers they crave, or will it lead to more pain and loss- and possibly even, their own demise? Baker’s Secret“The Baker’s Secret,” by Stephen Kiernan, is a beautifully written and sensitive story of struggle, survival, and hope set in a sleepy coastal village in Nazi occupied Normandy during World War II.

The story focuses on 22-year-old Emmanuelle, who is forced repeatedly to witness the cruelty and brutality of the Nazis bleeding her beloved small town dry and inflicting grievous crimes against friends and family. Yet, Emmanuelle is clever and determined to not give in to feelings of powerlessness. But what can a young girl do?

Having been taught to bake alongside a master since age 13, Emmanuelle has learned her craft well. Each day the Nazis give her just enough flour to bake a dozen baguettes for their occupying force. Yet Emmanuelle has figured out a way to extend the precious dough to make an extra two loaves.

She willingly shares this contraband bread with her desperately hungry neighbors, even at the risk of her safety. In doing so, she becomes the heart and soul of a secret network of barter and trade that manages to both quietly thwart the enemy as well as provide her village both the will and the way to survive.

But with rescue still a distant dream, the question remains whether Emmanuelle will be able to continue to escape the occupiers watchful eyes long enough to keep both she and her village alive. The Stars Are Fire: A Novel“The Stars Are Fire: A Novel,” by Anita Shreve, is a quiet yet gripping novel about a young woman whose resilience and strength are tested by a catastrophic fire and its devastating aftermath.

Set in October 1947, this historical tale is based on the true story of the largest fire in Maine’s history. After a long summer drought, the coast between Kittery and Bar Harbor is beset with wildfires that threaten to rage out of control.

Five months pregnant, 24-year-old Grace Holland is left to care for and protect her two small children, while her husband Gene joins a force of volunteer firefighters determined to stop them. But the fire is relentless. Ultimately Grace and her best friend Rosie are forced to watch helplessly as their homes, and that of all their neighbors are destroyed. In one night, what was once a steady, albeit somewhat quiet, restricted life is replaced with the struggle of a lifetime.

Homeless, penniless, and fearing the worst about Gene’s failure to return home, Grace must find a way to protect and provide for her children. Faced with a profoundly uncertain future, Grace discovers an inner strength she never imagined. Yet, at the same time, she also discovers newfound freedom and release from the constraints of a traditional 1940s marriage.

The question remains whether Gene will ever return— and if he does, will Grace be able to hold onto her newfound independence and spirit?

— Book Smart is a monthly column by Nancy Harris of Scituate, Massachusetts, a practicing psychologist and a former instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.